Please click into the individual blog post, as the links are currently missing on the library page, (formatting issue being investigated).
Welcome back to school after half term. I hope you managed to have some fun. I certainly see some of you were busy reading during the break with 259 books borrowed on Sora. Here are the top 10 titles borrowed on Sora by SGS students during half term.
For those of you who haven't logged into Sora yet, here is a reminder of how to borrow library ebooks via Sora. But if you are having any difficulties accessing Sora, then I will be happy to help you.
There is a link to the Sora app on the pupil page of the school website or at the top of the sidebar here on the library page. Download the Sora app or explore in browser https://soraapp.com Enter the setup code uksecondary if asked, and sign in with your school Google login and email password. And in the meantime, here is a Getting Started video guide or there is a PDF version on the P drive in the P:\LIBRARY\Sora folder.
Sora has launched a global book club – Big Library Read! From 2-16 November both the audiobook and ebook of Reverie by Ryan La Sala are available to borrow without wait-lists or holds. Read and share with the hashtag #BigLibraryRead on social media for a chance to win some Sora swag! Join the Big Library Read discussion here. Also there will be a live virtual event on Zoom with the author at 7pm on 10 November.
The Secret Garden new film version was released during half term. This week's top tip for Sora is that this book by Frances Hodgson Burnett, along with all other titles in their Classics collection are always available to borrow on Sora, with no holds necessary. Plus I've found you a competition here to design A Secret Garden.
And here is a selection of books on Sora to tie in with Remembrance Day.
The Diverse Book Awards took place during half term. These aim to highlight the best diverse voices published in the UK. The winner of the Young Adult category is Chinglish: An Almost Entirely True Story by Sue Cheung and the winner of the Children's category is The Star Outside My Window by Onjali Q. Rauf which will appeal to Yr 7. You may see details of other shortlisted titles here.
More award news during half term from The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition. The overall winner is Adjay and the Mumbai Rail Times by Varsha Shah and the winner of the Chairman’s Choice Award is The Other Ones by Fran Hart. They both win a publishing contract with Chicken House, so watch this space for details of when these two books publish.
And for those of you who enjoy graphic novels or manga, I missed spotting the winner announcement for the Excelsior Awards just before half term. The KS3 winner (and overall winner) is Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama. The KS4 winner is They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger and Harmony Becker, (this one is available to borrow online from London Library Consortium). And the KS5 winner is Guantánamo Kid: The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani by Jérôme Tubiana and Alexandre Franc.
November is national non-fiction month. This year's theme is The Planet We Share and I have saved a book list from the Federation of Children's Book Groups on the P drive in the P:\LIBRARY\National Non Fiction November folder. I haven't spotted any of the titles from this list on Sora, but they have curated a general Non Fiction November list which does include titles like Dive In and Ours To Share.
ComicScene have kindly given us a free digital copy of one of their comics which I have saved on the P Drive in the P:\Library\Comics folder. They have advised me that print copies are available in WHSmith, Martins and McColl’s newsagents.
On the topic of comics, Yr 7 may be pleased to hear that I have also saved digital copies of the Golden Beano issues from lockdown in the same folder.
~~~~
Now for a quick round-up of a few other ideas and resources.
Booktrust have published their Great Books Guide 2020 detailing their view of the best new books from the last year.
There is a giveaway on National Geographic Kids for a selection of Terry Pratchett books.
Untold Stories poetry competition is your chance to explore your own heritage through poetry. To tell the stories that get left out of the history books and put your voice at the centre of England’s story.
There is a competition here to write a magical story.
The Science Museum has a selection of games and apps which you may enjoy. I particularly like the sound of Transmission, which is a mind-bending puzzle game of 70 levels where you create communication networks and reveal their strengths. (Note the Transmission link appears to be for Apple devices only).
We have received a request from Sutton Cultural Services. They have a blog called Sutton Spotlight Blog and they are looking for 6th form students to submit book reviews of eBooks / eAudiobooks and wondered if anyone at SGS would like to get involved.
Don't forget that we will happily accept all book-related contributions from students and staff to our blog. And please email us your suggestions for what you would like to see on our blog.
As there won't be any organised fireworks displays for Bonfire Night, I thought I would give it a little mention here. Remember to keep your pets indoors, as there still may be bangs from private gardens nearby. Now most of you probably know the first few lines of the traditional verse, but here is one version of the full poem. (There are other variants). Author unknown, written circa 1870.
Remember, remember! The fifth of November, The Gunpowder treason and plot; I know of no reason Why the Gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot! Guy Fawkes and his companions Did the scheme contrive, To blow the King and Parliament All up alive. Threescore barrels, laid below, To prove old England's overthrow. But, by God's providence, him they catch, With a dark lantern, lighting a match! A stick and a stake For King James's sake! If you won't give me one, I'll take two, The better for me, And the worse for you. A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope, A penn'orth of cheese to choke him, A pint of beer to wash it down, And a jolly good fire to burn him. Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring! Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King! Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!
Finally now for a bit of fun, we have a Bonfire Night wordsearch to share with you. I created this wordsearch at puzzle-maker.com myself and you may wish to try making your own word searches or crosswords there.
(For easier printing, open the image in a new tab. The way you do this will vary according to the browser you are using).